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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · chip · craft · wound · net · toast · hand · pitcher

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. net — for catching
  7. toast — bread
  8. hand — help
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. craft — boats
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com